Overview. Projects conducted by anyone affiliated with the university (faculty, students, researchers-including researchers from other institutions who wish to conduct research at UW) that involve human subjects/participants in any way must be submitted to the Office of Research and Economic Development for review and subsequent approval by the IRB prior to the initiation of the research project. This allows for determination of the level of IRB review necessary (i.e. full board, expedited, or exempt). An IRB proposal should be prepared according to the IRB Proposal Guidelines and must be submitted for review/approval prior to the initiation of the proposed research activities. Annual review of multi-year projects is also required and investigators are responsible for providing appropriate information to the IRB for annual review prior to the date specified in the project approval letter.

Student Proposals. Proposals submitted by students must include the Research Supervisor Approval Checklist to be completed by the research faculty supervisor that has reviewed and approved the proposal for submission to the IRB. The Checklist is found on the Research Office and Economic Development website: http://www.uwyo.edu/Research/. Click on Human Subjects under updated IRB Policies and Procedures Manual.

Training policy. All persons affiliated with the university who conduct human subject projects/research requiring IRB review/approval are required to complete the human subjects research training module at https://www.citiprogram.org/. It is recommended that the CITI human subject training is completed prior to submission of the IRB application and supporting materials. Certificate of completion should accompany the proposal. IRB approval will not be granted without documentation of the required training.

Meeting schedule and proposal/application submission. The IRB meeting schedule for the academic year is provided below. Proposals may be submitted for review at any time. However, proposals which require review by the full Board must be emailed to the Office of Research, IRB@uwyo.edu by the proposal due date (four weeks prior to the scheduled meeting). Even if proposals are received by the proposal due date, they may be deferred to the next scheduled meeting due to application volume. Electronic submission of proposals as a single Word file is preferred. Supplementary application materials should be contained within the single document as individual appendices (clearly labeled). Following these recommendations will facilitate efficient electronic review and limits the number of applications deferred to later meetings. It is recommended that three months be allowed and planned for completion, review, and approval of projects involving human subjects.

Please note: The IRB does not typically meet in July and August, but proposals may be submitted anytime during the summer. Proposals will be reviewed when received and, if necessary, the committee will be convened.

Guidelines for proposal preparation, as well as copies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regulations and other human subject research information, including the IRB Policies and Procedures Manual and other policy documents are available on the Research Office web site. Board members are listed below. Please call the Office of Research (6-5322/5320) if you have questions not addressed in the Research Office web site.